A Dance Of Matched Souls
by Phiver
Summary: One person can make all the difference... Say someone else showed up for the Chunin exams. Not just anybody, but an outcast, similar to our favorite knuckleheaded ninja. How much difference can one person make? Read and find out! NaruHina! Rated M for violence, language, and maybe a lemon in the distant future.
1. Prologue

If you're reading this, I assume you keep up with Naruto enough to know things, like certain signature Jutsus and such. I assume you know Naruto canon, at least up to the Fourth Shinobi War(or at least know that it happens) anyway, I'm getting off track. This story starts just before Team Seven's first Chunin exam, and it'll go from there, permitting you guys like it and all...

Disclaimer: I don't do yaoi. This is a NaruHina fic, partly, and I would prefer to stick to canon as much as possible. So pairings are going to mostly follow what kishimoto has set out...aka no KakashixKurenai , at least until Shippuden era, sorry folks... When it comes to the undecided ones, like Ino, I'm open to suggestions. I do have opinions on what I want, but il incorporate as much of what you guys and girls want as I can. That being said, this is close to canon, so be reasonable. I'm not going to pair Naruto and Sasuke no matter how often you ask, for example. I find that a disturbing pairing in the least considering Naruto looks to Sasuke as a brother, making it a form of incest for them to have a relationship. The other main pairing of this story is...well, you'll see. It is going to be really obvious, and I'm hoping you guys will be surprised, and I'm really hoping you like it, though I'm not so sure you'll care...

Oh, fair warning, I might use words you don't know, so I've taken a page from kingkakashi and have a vocab section in my authors note at the bottom of each chapter for any words I think you might not know. Also, if I say anything in Japanese that I am not certain you'll know, I'll put the English definition next to it in parenthesis. For example: "Kage Bushin no Jutsu(shadow clone jutsu)"

Sorry for the obnoxiously long intro, this won't be a common thing.

If it wasn't obvious earlier, I'm not kishimoto, because if I was I wouldn't talk about myself in third person. Ergo, I don't own Naruto, because if I did Naruto would have kissed Hinata by now.

Ok, I've talked too much, on with the first chapter!

**Prologue**

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**Takigakure, a month before the Chunin Exams**

"We have to send a team if we are ever going to gain the respect of the other villages!"

"But we don't have any teams ready! None of the senseis approved their team for the exam this year, and sending an unprepared team would embarrass us more than not sending one at all!"

Shichiro, the leader of Takigakure, the village hidden in the waterfall, sighed and massaged his temples, trying to ease the headache he had gained from listening to the village elders repeat the same arguments for the past hour and a half. His council, made up of fourteen respected people from the village, was split evenly down the middle on this subject, and, as leader, he was going to have to make a decision soon. He almost wished his son Shibuki was still a genin, so that he and his teammates could be sent as representatives. The problem was they had all made Chunin after the last exam, and none of the genin teams from this year showed half as much potential. The only team remotely capable was Team 4, but due to the distrust shown to one of its members by the rest, Shichiro wasn't sure about choosing them.

His contemplations were soon interrupted as his closest advisor leaned over and whispered in his ear, "You know, Shichro-sama, if we send Team 4 there's no question they would make it to at least the second part. And if they made it that far, I know a certain genin who would represent us strongly in the fights. After all, isn't it better to show that we have one strong ninja rather than show we have none because the rest are weak?"

As he considered this, the debate raged on between the rest of the council, unaware of what had just transpired. Needless to say, they were quite shocked when Shichiro loudly stated "If you would all be quiet, I could give you my decision!"

The room was filled with wide eyes and silent mouths as he cleared his throat and continued. "Thank you. Now, as I said, I have come to a decision. We will send genin Team four to the Chunin exams in Konoha this year, as they are our most promising candidates. Yes, I know" he held up his hand as he spoke to cut off the angry rebukes, " team four was deemed unqualified by their sensei because of their lack of teamwork. However, it is my opinion that it would be better to show that we have at least a few strong shinobi rather than come off as weak by sending none, inviting the other villages to come attack us for profit. And before you dare bring up the condition of that girl, let me point out that my father 'suffered' from the same condition and was still strong enough to lead this village for over 40 years. I'm confident that she will be a good example of just how strong the people of this village are to the rest of the ninja world. As leader, this is my decision, and it shall be carried out. I now adjourn this meeting."

With that, the council members stood and shuffled out of the small room where the meeting was held, some satisfied and prideful with the results, others upset and irritated. As they did, few noticed the young boy who slipped in the room, slowly approaching Shichiro, who had sat down with his head in his hands, tired if dealing with the self righteous members of his villages council.

"Tousan, what's wrong?" Asked the boy as he knelt down in front of the older man.

"Ah, Shibuki, I didn't hear you come in." He said as he looked up at his son. Noticing his hair was getting long, he thought to himself _He looks more like his mother every day, with those dark eyes and that dark hair of his._ Coming back to the present before he distracted himself further, Shichiro gave his son a tired smile and said " It's nothing, Shibuki. your old man just has to go do some unpleasant things now."

Giving him a concerned look, the boy asked "What kind of things Tousan?"

"Well, for starters, I have to go tell Team 4 to prepare for the Chunin exams"

"But- Tousan! SHE'S on that team!" Shibuki stated, the fear and disgust obvious in his voice.

"Are you so closed minded, musuko(son), that you would view her as everyone else in this village does?! Don't you know of your own heritage?" Shichiro was shocked at his son's words. _After all, if the my own son treats her like a pariah, how badly must others treat her?_

"Gomensai(sorry), Tousan... I just- I don't see it wise to send _her _of all people to the exams. You know of her, well, her 'problem' perhaps better than anyone alive here. Why are you taking such risks?"

"Because, musuko, if this village is ever to gain respect, we will have to risk something to get it." With that, Shichiro got up and went to get his tasks over with, leaving a troubled Shibuki to his thoughts.

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**Konoha, two weeks later**

"Are there any overseeing our newest junior ninja that would like to recommend their students for this Chunin selection exam?" Asked the Sandaime(third) Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, as he looked around at the gathered Jonin and Chunin.

"I recommend Naruto Uzumaki, Sakura Haruno, and Sasuke Uchiha from team 7 for the Chunin selection exam." Kakashi declared, stepping forward towards the Hokage from the throng of people behind him.

Next, Kurenai came forward and stated, "I recommend Shino Aburame, Kiba Inuzuka, and Hinata Hyuuga from team 8 for the Chunin exam."

Asuma joined the two, taking a drag on his cigarette before saying "I recommend Ino Yamanaka, Shikamaru Nara, and Choji Akimichi from team 10 for the Chunin exam."

The shocked silence that followed was broken as Iruka, the genins' old teacher, burst forward from the crowd inside the Hokage's meeting room. "Wait a moment! Hokage-sama, if I could speak, please!"

At a nod from the Sandiame, he continued. " I knew and taught most of these kids at the academy... I know full well that they are gifted ninja, but this is too soon! They need more time to mature and gain experience! I don't understand how their senseis can't see this but-"

"I was six years younger than them when I became Chunin, Iruka." Kakashi pointed out, glancing back at the scarred instructor. "I doubt that they need more time than they already have had."

"Do you want to crush them!?" Iruka shouted back. "You know just what those exams are like, and, besides, none of those kids are a damned prodigy like you, Kakashi!"

"Be that as it may, there's something you fail to grasp here. You see, those 'kids' are no longer your students. They're soldiers, and they're under our command. I can't speak for the two beside me, but I stand by my recommendation. I'm sorry if it upsets you."

"Kakashi is right, Iruka" Kurenai said gently, but firmly. "As much as you want to protect them, they're not yours to protect anymore. They're going to go out there, take risks, and get hurt sometimes. But that's part of life, and you need to accept it. I too stand by my decision, and won't be changing it."

Iruka looked to Asuma, hoping to find some sanity from the Sarutobi. However, Asuma simply took his cig out from him mouth and sighed, releasing a cloud of smoke as he did. "They're right, kid. Just give it up and go back to your school," he said, a tone of condescension present in his words.

Finding no support, Iruka lowered his head and turned his back, walking away from where he felt the death warrants of nine innocent kids had been signed.

Taking a puff of his pipe, the Hokage continued,

"Now then, are there any overseeing the older genin teams who would like to recommend..."

**Meanwhile, at Konoha's gates**:

Four travelers walked into Konoha at the same time. As the guard looked closer, he saw that each of them had a forehead protector signaling that they came from Takigakure._ Odd, we don't get many visitors from the Hidden Waterfall Village_, he thought to himself

The lead figure, a tall man with light brown hair, turned around and motioned the three smaller people to him. Once they were close, he knelt down so as to be eye level with the three genin, looking the front two in the eye before saying, "Ok, this is a big deal you guys. Everything you do here reflects back on the entire village, so do your best and show them all what you're made of! Be sure that..."

To the casual observer, this rousing speech was being given to all three kids in front of him. However, if one looked closely, they would notice that no eye contact was made with the genin in the back. In fact, it looked as if she could care less about what the man said, looking off into the trees at the bugs buzzing in the late afternoon sun.

As he wrapped up his speech, the man finally focused on the girl in the back, his eyes narrowing as he noticed her distracted expression. "And _You_," he said, the cold tone of his voice in stark contrast to the warm manner he had just been speaking in,"You be sure to behave. Don't be stupid, don't break anything, don't talk to anyone. In fact, it would be best if you just acted like you weren't here. Got it?"

"Yes, _sensei_," the young girl responded, her voice acerbic and full of disdain as she replied._ How I wish I could beat that bastard up, but if I do, il never get anything other than D-ranked missions. For the sake of my future, I have to endure his bitchy attitude just a little while longer..._

As if he could read her thoughts, he finished with, "I'll be watching you, you freak." With that, he stood up and resumed his path into the village. The two genin beside him sneered at her befor following suit, running a little to catch up with him. The girl took a moment to control her trembling body, holding back the rage that threatened to break free, a rage that didn't come from her own feelings alone. "Just a little while longer, Fu," she said to herself. "Just a little fucking longer..." Once she had calmed down, she walked in to the Hidden Leaf Village, unaware of just how quickly her life was going to change.

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Sorry for the lame first chapter, I just wanted to get some backstory established and see if you guys are ok with how I write...hopefully it isn't too terrible and you can appreciate the story despite my inability to write :P I promise it will get much better once I actually start the story! I just needed to set up some things and I would rather do it now than as a filler chapter later (I have mild OCD, sue me).

If there's a pairing you would like me to try to work in, let me know. So far, I have NaruHina set. I would like to do NejiTen, ShikaTema, and AnkoIruka for sure, but they'll just be minor side arcs unless I get reviews really wanting them to be important features of the story. If there is another pairing you want, or if you can come up with a good enough argument to swing me on an existing one (besides NaruHina that won't change) il try to work it in.

to clarify: NaruHina is going to be a major pairing! Sorry I didn't feel necessary to give their backstories because everyone already knows them and I don't find it necessary to change them :P next chapter il start with Naruto and Hinata no worries :)

I want to thank roamer79, Kingkakashi, Hektols, Tyr'amun, JadedRen, MehaandIruka, DeisuiNeko, KittyKatChan96, CherryxButterfly, brown phantom, YungHime, and Shinigami-Zelda-Sama for inspiring me, messaging me back, and for being awesome people in general. If you haven't read any of the aforementioned authors, pick one and go check them out! They're all worth it, in my opinion.

Please, review! Being my first fic, I would greatly appreciate feedback. I get that this chapter wasn't that great, mostly I am setting up for the rest of the story here. Next chapter I'll actually get into things, establishing main characters and such. It shouldn't be long before I do that, so just bear with me please. Six AP classes plus honor band plus church plus a girlfriend make it hard to find time to write, but I will try my best to get you something you'll actually enjoy soon!

Live long and prosper,

Phiver

**Vocab!**

Incest- sexual or romantic relationship with a close family member

Pariah- outcast from society

Acerbic- biting and sarcastic


	2. Entr' Acte

Hey peoples! Thank you for sticking through the horribleness that was the first chapter! It should get much better now so don't worry. Also here starts NaruHina interactions so there's that :D lol.

Don't get used to the quick updating; I felt bad about calling it a NaruHina fic and having them not be in the first chapter, so I wrote this to make up for that. In reality, this is Chapter One, where the story actually begins. After this, I'll try and update once every few weeks if possible.

Please, if you can, review this story. Even if you just say "Good job" or something like that, it's better than nothing. When I last checked, over 150 people had looked at this story and only 4 reviewed... That's saddening :( please, review and give me feedback on what you do and don't like, I'd really appreciate it! It lets me know people are actually reading and have an opinion on this... And while I will keep writing regardless of how many readers I have, it is nice to know people care about this story in some manner...

Also, sorry for any typo's. I'm having to check each chapter myself for mistakes. Not because of a lack of quality beta readers, though; It's mostly because I would prefer not to be beholden to someone else in regards to when I can update. So yea, there might be some mistakes. If so, PM me and I'll fix them up.

Oh, and for future reference:

"Example" : normal speech

"_Example__"_ Or "EXAMPLE" : emphasized speech

_Example _: thoughts or images inside a persons head

'_Example' _: someone's thoughts inside a dream sequence (you'll understand)

**"Example" **: Bijuu or other demonic entity speech

_**Example **_: Bijuu or other demonic entity thoughts and such

" (Example) " : My personal comments that I sometimes feel are necessary xP

Now, I'm sure you're all anxious to see your favorite knuckle headed ninja with the girl of his dreams (quite literally at some points) lol so here you go:)

**Entr' Acte**

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**Konoha, same day**

Hinata's day was going great. She and her teammates had just gotten paid for their successful mission(even if it was just catching Tora again), and was trying to decide what to do with it. _Maybe I'll go buy some cinnamon rolls; it's been a while since I've had them because Tousan doesn't like me to eat unhealthy things... I hope that he won't be too upset with me..._ Making up her mind, she headed to the bakery just down the street from the Hyuuga compound, whose baker made the best rolls she had ever tasted. As she made her way through the village, she found herself lost in her favorite daydream: a date with Naruto.

She walked down the bustling streets, imagining her crush was with her, holding her hand as they made their way towards their destination. She was so shy that just thinking about this happening brought an unconscious blush to her cheeks, turning her porcelain skin a rosy color. This drew some curious stares from passing people, who wondered if the poor girl was coming down with a fever. Hinata was totally oblivious to all of this, caught up in her fantasy.

_Naruto held her hand as they walked down the street together, smiling warmly at her. She smiled back, leaning into his body and looking up at him. "Thank you so much for coming with me, Naruto-kun," she said, squeezing his hand gently. _

_"No problem, Hinata-chan," he replied, gazing down at the most beautiful girl in the world. He loved how the sun made the purple tints in her dark hair shine, offsetting the unblemished skin of her pale face. His eyes traveled down the rest of her body _(not in THAT way, perverts ;P )_, taking in the beige jacket, dark blue pants, and the blue ninja sandals. "You know, I'm glad you don't wear revealing clothing, Hinata-chan."_

_"Really?" She looked up at his bright blue eyes, searching for a sign that he was lying. She soon got caught up in those twin pools, losing track of the conversation as she gazed into his gorgeous, dreamy, lovely, amaz-_

_"...hear me? Hinata-chan?" _

_Coming back to herself, she shook her head a little to clear it before looking back up at him, making sure she didn't look directly into his eyes this time. "I'm sorry, Naruto-kun, did you say something?" _

_Relieved that she was back in the present, he smiled at her as he said, "Yea, I was saying that I'm glad you don't wear revealing clothes. Otherwise, I'd have to deal with all the other guys in this village trying to get your affections, as they would all realize just how beautiful you are, Hina-chan." _

At this point, the blush on her face deepened into a dark red, causing the people near her to be concerned. Some of them started to walk up to her, before they realized who she was. _That's Lord Hyuuga's daughter!_, the guy thought to himself. _If something happens to her, I don't want to be blamed for causing it. _Similar thoughts ran through the minds of the others, and they left the girl to herself as she continued down the street.

_"Naruto-kun, you're so sweet!" Hinata said, blushing slightly as she smiled up at her crush. She had never felt so appreciated in her life, and the fact that it was Naruto made it even nicer. As she watched, Naruto's face took on a more serious look as he said, "Not as sweet as you, Hina-chan." _

_She realized he was leaning his face towards hers, his hands somehow around her back. 'When did they get there?' She wondered to herself, then realized, 'Why do I care? Naruto-kun is about to kiss me!' Closing her eyes, she waited for his lips to touch hers. She felt his breath on her face as his hands gripped her tightly, though not uncomfortably. 'This is it! Just a couple more inches...'_

"Hey, Hinata-sama!"

Her eyes snapped open, trying to make sense of where she was. _What just- _She shortly came to realize she had been daydreaming, causing the blush that had left her cheeks just moments ago to return. _How embarrassing! I hope no one I knew saw me... It would be really awkward if I had to explain that... _Looking around, she saw she was right in front of the bakery. The shop had its door propped open, letting the aroma of freshly baked bread drift out into the streets to enticing people to come in. Behind the counter, which was full of assorted breads, pastries, and other treats, stood a tall, burly man whose size would be intimidating if not for the welcoming smile that was often on his face. _He must have been the one who called out to me...no one else has such a loud and booming voice. _There were wrinkles around the corners of his eyes from all the laughing he did. Hinata knew fully well all of these things, because he was the only shopkeeper who would really talk to her. Everyone else tiptoed around her like her skin was as breakable as a similarly-hued porcelain vase. _It's all because of my father..._

Shaking her head to clear away both the lingering dream of her crush and the unpleasant memories of her father, Hinata smiled back at the man and responded, "Konnichiwa, Kenta-san! I was just coming to see you, in fact. What do you have ready today?"

The older man smiled down at the young girl, glad to see her smiling again. Often, when she would come in, her face would be downcast, her body hunched over, and her speech would be full of repeated words and stutterings. He may not have been a genius, but the baker knew that Hinata was dealing with an emotionally turbulent childhood. He also knew, from the few rumors that managed to get to him before being squashed by the Hyuuga patriarch, that she was treated roughly and unkindly at home. _With all that she goes through, it's no wonder she has depression. In fact, it's a wonder that she is happy at all... _Putting aside these thoughts, he responded kindly to the young girl, "As a matter of fact, you're in luck, Hinata-sama. A fresh batch of cinnamon rolls just came put of the oven! How many would you like?"

"I-I-I just want a f-few... And K-Kenta-san, please don't use 'sama' with m-me...you know me very w-well and it's embarrassing to be talked about in s-such a manner... I mean, I don't r-really deserve..." Her words trailed off and her eyes grew wide as saucers when she saw the basket of fresh pastries that the baker brought out from the shelf behind him. Her mouth fell open and a little saliva began to to drool down her face at the sight of those delicious-looking rolls. She could still see the steam rising from them as they cooled, confirming the man's comment on their freshness. "H-h-how much for them?" She asked in a daze, her head clouded by the promise of the delicious cinammony goodness that sat steaming not two feet from her. She began pulling out her mission payment, willing to use all of it in order to obtain the rolls in front of her until Kenta held up his hand to stop her.

"Tell you what," he said, "seeing as you want them so much, you can have them all on the house."

"REALLY?!" Hinata exclaimed, astounded by what she had just heard. Her entire face lit up like a kid who just got their first set of shuriken, her grin stretching from ear to ear. After a moment, though, her brow furrowed upon realizing just how many rolls there were in the basket. "I can't just take all of these, Kenta-san," she said quietly, frowning a little bit. "You worked hard to make them, and there's at least ten, probably more... That's too many for me to just take without pa-"

"Nonsense!" He cut her off, feeling a little bad about it but knowing she was going to talk herself out of this if she kept going. "With all the rolls and other pastries you've bought from me over the past year, Hinata-sama, it's the least I can do! Besides, I would never hear the end of it from Yoko if I let you walk out empty handed!" He had a wry smile on his face as he finished, imaging the love of his wife yelling at him from a foot below his head for charging the (emotionally) poor girl for the food.

Hinata knew fully well just what he meant, a small smile returning to her face at a similar image of his tiny wife yelling up at him. _I guess I'll have to take them...he's not going to budge. _"O-ok, Kenta-san, if you're sure about this..." she reluctantly agreed, pushing her index fingers together. She did this rather unconsciously, having formed a habit of doing it whenever she felt uncomfortable.

"Positive! Now take these and go enjoy the day!" The jovial man passed the basket over the counter to the young girl, whose eyes glazed over slightly as the scent of the rolls hit her nose with vengeance. _Must...resist...cinnamon! _It took all Hinata had not to grab one of the many delicious treats in her hands and start chowing down. However, to do so would be disrespectful..._and if there is one thing I've learned to do right from Tousan, it is to be proper in all situations._

Bidding the baker a good day, Hinata turned and left the shop, planning on heading to her team's training grounds to enjoy her food in peace. Caught up in her thoughts, she failed to notice the figure in front of her wasn't moving. (You can imagine what's about to happen so I don't feel I have to tell you :P )

"Oof!"

"Eep!"

Hinata fell flat on her backside slight dazed since she was unprepared for the collision. After coming out of her stupor, she looked up to see who she had run into. _I've never seen them before...are they new to the village, or just a tourist, or-_

"Watch where you're going, bitch!" Hinata's eyes went wide at the crude language streaming out of the mouth of the young girl in front in her. Her tan skin offset the white vest (think of a slimmer, thinner, white colored Chunin vest), which was zipped halfway up, showing the light gray mesh armor underneath. The mesh extended from under the vest down either arm, forming sleeves to just above her elbows. Her shorts were of a duller white than the vest, and extended to just above her knees. Hinata's eyes then noticed a forehead protector tied around the girl's right bicep. The symbol on it looked familiar to her. _Where have I seen that before...wait! One of my tutors showed me that symbol last year, while pointing out the neighboring countries and hidden villages. She's from Takigakure! _

At this point, her gaze shot up to the girl's face. She had shoulder length green hair, and odd orange-tinted eyes, and a glare that could go toe-to-toe with Yoshino Nara's any day of the week.

"Well!? Aren't you even going to apologize, you baka?! Are you listening to me?!"

Realizing the girl was upset with her, and that she was indeed to blame, Hinata opened her mouth to apologize. Before she could get the chance, though, the enraged kunoichi's eyes latched onto the forehead protector around Hinata's neck, giving her more ammunition to continue her tirade with. "And you're supposed to be a kami-damned ninja of this village! I sure fucking hope the rest of the shinobi here aren't as slow-witted as you! Well, baka?! What do you have to say for your shitty self?"

Hinata's eyes had slowly been filling up with tears, and they overflowed as she timidly replied, "I-I'm v-very s-s-sorry, O-n-nee-sama*. I-i-i di-didn't mean t-to run in-into y-you. P-please f-fo-forgive m-me!" She had risen wobbly to her feet while saying this. Once she had finished, she bowed quickly to the irate girl and ran off in the opposite direction sobbing.

_Shit...I didn't mean to do that.._. Fu was having a bad day. Being in an unfamiliar place with unfamiliar people didn't really help, either. _It's not that I hate people... I just don't trust them to not hurt me. _Her "sensei" and her "teammates" had gone off without her, though not before putting as much scorn as they could into the glare they gave her. This had completely ruined Fu's excitement about seeing a new hidden village. She had been wandering aimlessly for an hour, growing increasingly frustrated at all the confusing twists and turns and back alleys and side-streets that dead-ended. She had finally found her way, somehow, to this bakery, where she had planned on getting something to eat with the money Shichiro had given her. Before she could, though, the little girl had run into her, and before Fu really knew what she was doing, she lashed out at the young ninja without really thinking about what she was saying.

_It wasn't really her fault, even... I was just standing in the middle of a busy street, looking around. She probably expected that I was going to move and so didn't stop when she came out of the store..._ Fu then noticed the basket lying near the spot the other girl had just vacated. Reaching down to pick it up, she realized it was full of cinnamon rolls. _Shit, this was probably hers... I could just take them, but I'd feel guilty later... Maybe the baker could tell me where she went._

After taking a few breaths to collect herself, Fu headed inside the bakery. She was greeted by a wonderful mixture of smells, accompanied by a loud "Konnichiwa!" from the man behind the counter. Plastering a fake smile on her face, she headed towards the towering figure. _I hate dealing with men... _

"Hello, miss, how may I help you?" The man asked kindly.

"Hello. Actually, I was wondering if you could tell me about the person who bought these rolls," Fu said, gesturing to the basket under her arm. "You see, we accidentally ran into each other, and she left without them. Do you know where she might have gone so I can return them to her?"

Kenta's forehead creased as he took in the basket he had just given away. _I go to the back room for a minute and Hinata manages to find a way to get the rolls back to me..._ "It's not like Hinata-san to leave her things behind, especially cinnamon rolls. Did something else occur?" he asked, concerned for the young lady.

Fu had to work to keep the smile on her face. _Just a few more sentences and I can get the hell out of here. I mean, he's nice and all, but he's still a man, and all men want to do is make things frigging ridiculously difficult for me. Well, all men except Shichiro...I need to wrap this up soon. _"Well, I may have accidentally yelled at her for running into me before she took off..."

At this, the look on Kenta's face became even more concerned. "Let me guess, she was crying as she ran off?" Receiving a nod, he continued, "I thought as much. You had no way of knowing, but Hinata-san struggles with many deep-seated emotional problems. I won't go into them for her sake, but you should be aware that it will mostly likely take a lot of effort to calm her down. As to where she went, I would guess that she went to her team's training grounds." After listing off directions and details about the place (for Hinata had described it to him a few times and he knew the general area where the training grounds were) he gave her a parting comment:

"Good luck, miss. You'll need it, I suspect."

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A/N- I have to say, I enjoyed myself while writing this chapter. I hope you didn't become too annoyed with what I did, and sorry for making it take so long to say so little...I'm going to try and pick up the pace with the next few chapters, don't worry! Sorry for the tease... I didn't lie, though! There WAS a NaruHina moment... just all in Hinata's head XD don't worry, though, Naruto will meet up with Hinata soon enough ;)

Oh, and in regards to the "*" up there: I was stumped trying to find a way for Hinata to respond to a stranger and still be polite. I looked it up and apparently it is perfectly acceptable to refer to a stranger of your age group or slightly above or below your age as brother or sister. Hence, Hinata calling Fu Oneesama, which means respected older sister (Fu is about a year older than Hinata and Naruto and co.) Speaking of Fu, yes I know that the outfit I describe was not the one she is seen wearing in Shippuden and the manga. My reasoning is that this is a slightly younger Fu, and I didn't want her to be the only one who doesn't get an outfit update when we hit the time skip :P that, and her outfit was a little too revealing for the type of person I am writing her as lol...

Please, review if you took the time to read this! I want to give a shout out to Tyr'amun, Sadekuuro, JMarieAllenPoe, and Jormungandr1994 for reviewing last chapter and giving feedback! Thank you for all your comments, it helped me out a lot when writing this chapter :)

Anyway, I hope that satisfied your NaruHina cravings for a while lol. I kinda neglected my school work to make this happen...so I hope you all liked it :P I'm about to be really busy these next few weeks, so I can't guarantee a swift update. I will update as soon as I can, and you'll have a new chapter within a month.

Oh, and Yoshino Nara is Shikamaru's mom, for all those who didn't figure it out.

Live Long and Prosper,

Phiver

Vocab!

Beholden- reliant upon to a great extent

Patriarch- Male leader of a clan or other such organization

Cinammony- my own word I made up for Hinata to use that would explain her obsession with cinnamon rolls to a deeper degree. XD (so it's not really a word, people)

Jovial- jolly or happy

Tirade- angry speech (aka yelling) similar to what Tsunade says to Naruto when she's upset, though usually much long.

Irate- upset or cross; it's an intense irritation


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